TheTiger's Prey: A Novel of Adventure

Tom Courtney, one of four sons of master mariner Sir Hal Courtney, once again sets sail on a treacherous journey that will take him across the vast reaches of the ocean and pit him against dangerous enemies in exotic destinations. But just as the winds propel his sails, passion drives his heart. Turning his ship toward the unknown, Tom Courtney will ultimately find his destiny - and lay the future for the Courtney family.

God of Vengeance: The Rise of Sigurd 1

Norway, AD 785. It began with the betrayal of a lord by a king.... King Gorm puts Jarl Harald's family to the sword but makes one fatal mistake - he fails to kill Harald's youngest son, Sigurd. His kin slain, his village seized and its people taken as slaves, Sigurd wonders if the gods have forsaken him. Hunted by powerful men, he is unsure who to trust, and yet he has a small band of loyal followers at his side.

A Place Called Freedom

This lush novel, set in 1766 England and America, evokes an era ripe with riot and revolution, from the teeming streets of London to the sprawling grounds of a Virginia plantation. Mack McAsh burns with the desire to escape his life of slavery in Scottish coal mines while Lizzie Hallim is desperate to shed a life of sheltered subjugation to her spineless husband. United in America, their only chance for freedom lies beyond the Western frontier - if they're brave enough to take it.

The Covenant: A Novel

James A. Michener's masterly chronicle of South Africa is an epic tale of adventurers, scoundrels, and ministers, the best and worst of two continents, who carve an empire out of a vast wilderness. From the Java-born Van Doorn family tree springs two great branches: one nurtures lush vineyards, the other settles the interior to become the first Trekboers and Afrikaners.

Young Bloods: Wellington and Napoleon, Book 1

Arthur Wesley (the future Duke of Wellington) was born and bred to be a leader. With a firm belief that the nation must be led by a king, the red-coated British officer heads for battle against the French Republic, to restore the fallen monarchy. Napoleon Bonaparte joins the French military on the eve of the Revolution. He believes leadership is won by merit, not by noble birth. When anarchy explodes in Paris, he's thrust into the revolutionary army poised to march against Britain.

African Kaiser: General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and the Great War in Africa, 1914-1918

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the continent of Africa was a hotbed of international trade, colonialism, and political gamesmanship. So when World War I broke out, the European powers were forced to contend with each other not just in the bloody trenches - but in the treacherous jungle. And it was in that unforgiving land that General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck would make history.

The Potato Factory: The Australian Trilogy, Book 1

Always leave a little salt on the bread. Ikey Solomon's favorite saying is also his way of doing business, and in the business of thieving he's very successful indeed. Ikey's partner in crime is his mistress, the forthright Mary Abacus, until misfortune befalls them. They are parted and each must make the harsh journey from thriving nineteenth century London to the convict settlement of Van Diemen's Land.

EMPEROR: The Gates of Rome, Book 1 (Unabridged)

On a small estate just outside Rome in the first century BC, two boys become blood brothers, little imagining the extraordinary future that lies before them. As friends and rivals, Gaius and Marcus are destined to find lasting fame.

To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War

Spring 1916: the horror of a stalemate on Europe's Western Front. France and Great Britain are on one side of the barbed wire, a fierce German army is on the other. Shaara opens the window onto the otherworldly tableau of trench warfare as seen through the eyes of a typical British soldier who experiences the bizarre and the horrible - a "Tommy" whose innocent youth is cast into the hell of a terrifying war.

The Last Kingdom: The Last Kingdom Series, Book 1

The first book in a brand-new series, The Last Kingdom is set in England during the reign of King Alfred. Uhtred is an English boy, born into the aristocracy of ninth-century Northumbria. Orphaned at 10, he is captured and adopted by a Dane and taught the Viking ways. Yet Uhtred's fate is indissolubly bound up with Alfred, King of Wessex, who rules over the only English kingdom to survive the Danish assault. The struggle between the English and the Danes and the strife between christianity and paganism is the background to Uhtred's growing up.

Blood Eye

In a thrilling adventure of brotherhood, warfare, and treachery, Giles Kristian takes us into ninth-century England, a world of darkness, epic conflict, and an unforgiving God served by powerful priests. On ships shaped like dragons, bristling with oars and armor, Jarl Sigurd and his fierce Norsemen have come in search of riches. And riches they are promised, by an English ruler who sends Sigurd and his wolves to steal a holy manuscript from another kingdom.

Back of Beyond

Cody Hoyt, while a brilliant cop, is an alcoholic struggling with two months of sobriety when his mentor and AA sponsor Hank Winters is found burned to death in a remote mountain cabin. At first it looks like the suicide of a man who’s fallen off the wagon, but Cody knows Hank better than that....

Fall of Giants

A huge novel that follows five families through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for votes for women. It is 1911. The Coronation Day of King George V. The Williams, a Welsh coal-mining family, is linked by romance and enmity to the Fitzherberts, aristocratic coal-mine owners. Lady Maud Fitzherbert falls in love with Walter von Ulrich, a spy at the German Embassy in London.

The Power of One

Born in a South Africa divided by racism and hatred, this one small boy will come to lead all the tribes of Africa. Through enduring friendships with Hymie and Gideon, Peekay gains the strength he needs to win out. And in a final conflict with his childhood enemy, the Judge, Peekay will fight to the death for justice.

The Frozen Hours: A Novel of the Korean War

The master of military historical fiction turns his discerning eye to the Korean War in this riveting new novel, which tells the dramatic story of the Americans and the Chinese who squared off in one of the deadliest campaigns in the annals of combat: the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, also known as Frozen Chosin.

The Gray Man

Court Gentry is known as The Gray Man - a legend in the covert realm, moving silently from job to job, accomplishing the impossible, and then fading away. And he always hits his target. But there are forces more lethal than Gentry in the world. And in their eyes, Gentry has just outlived his usefulness. Now, he is going to prove that for him, there's no gray area between killing for a living-and killing to stay alive.

Publisher's Summary

From one of the world’s most celebrated novelists comes an epic adventure set on the banks of the Nile in Khartoum, 1884.

In the Sudan, decades of brutal misgovernment by the ruling Egyptian Khedive in Cairo precipitate a fierce and bloody rebellion and Holy War headed by a charismatic new religious leader, The Madhi or “Expected One.” The British are forced to intervene to protect their national interests and to attempt to rescue the hundreds of British subjects stranded in the country.

Along with hundreds of others, British trader and businessman, Ryder Courtney is trapped in the capital city of Khartoum. It is here that he meets Captain Penrod Ballantyne of the 10th Hussars, as well as the British Consul, David Benbrook and his three beautiful daughters. Against the vivid and bloody backdrop of the siege of Khartoum, in which British General Charles George Gordon is killed and the British retreat, these three powerful men fight to survive. Rich with vibrant historical detail and infused with his inimitable powers of storytelling, The Triumph of the Sun is Wilbur Smith at his masterful best.

The story takes you from the heart of England to the sands of Egypt in one glorious adventure that one can NOT soon forget…. From General Gordon in Khartoum --- three daughters and three men escorted me through horrors of battles & torture to adventure & adoration…. What else could be the bases of a Splendid Story?

What can I say about this book, the narration is fantastic, the story is multi - layered and well developed in every way, the action is separated only by great story and character development, the writing is done with the amazing talent of being able to bring the reader into the world to be able to see it. Even after a week I can still imagine the city and surrounding scenery, the people and the action. This is a first rate listen on every level and I would not hesitate to recommend this book strongly.

Where does Triumph of the Sun rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Up near the very top

Who was your favorite character and why?

This is a difficult question. I'd have to say that there are so many fascinating characters, both Arab and British, that it would be hard to pick just one.

Have you listened to any of Tim Pigott-Smith’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

He is excellent! I have heard him before and he is amazingly skilled with male and female voices, many accents and ages. I would rate him right at the top along with Simon Vance's narration of "Assegai" by Wilbur Smith.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

That would be impossible, as it is very long and there is so much to this historical saga. It took me 4 days of listening and still I want to go back ,at some point, and re-absorb more details I may have missed.

Any additional comments?

I find Wilbur Smith's historical books the very finest of adventure novels. The details of the African sagas are vast and his knowledge of the history of the continent is amazing. I love his characters, especially the Courtney's. The pre- 20th century novels bring alive a kaleidoscope of landscapes and characters, customs and contrasting values, friendships and enmities to illustrate the settling of Africa as if the reader were right there, sharing in the adventures. I recommend them highly.

I have always been interested in the subject of the Madhi Uprising in 19th Century Sudan. The novel started out very well, but started to run on and on. After about 17 hours, I just had to pull the plug. I have only done that once before. Overall, the novel is 23 hours long, I can't imagine how you go from that length to a six hour abridged version. This I will avoid other novels by this author and by this narrator.

I listen to quite a lot off audiobooks & found "Triumph of the Sun" a great listen. The characters (especially the girls)grow & develop throughout the story......although Nazera , Ballantine & Rider seem quite 'timeless'. The descriptions are quite explicit & brutal at times-but I think its crucial in the understanding of the Madi & all that his people stood for. A wonderful book & very enlightening in understanding the dynamics of what went on in Northern Africa during that time.